Order of Merlin
The Order of Merlin (abbreviated O.M.) was an award bestowed upon wizards and witches who had achieved great things for the wizarding world. It had three different levels: First Class, Second Class, and Third Class. It is the wizarding world's equivalent to OBEs with first class being the equivalent to the most senior OBE, a knighthood. History An organisation called the Order of Merlin was founded by Merlin in the Middle Ages. Merlin believed that wizards and witches should help Muggles, and, thus, the Order of Merlin established rules against the use of magic on Muggles.< The award known as the Order of Merlin was created in commemoration of Merlin and was first given out by the Wizengamot in the 15th century. It is unknown whether this award was connected to the earlier organisation of the same name. As often happens with such highly coveted awards, Ministry of Magic favourites seem to receive the Order of Merlin, especially the higher classes, more often than one might expect. Notable unworthy recipients are Cornelius Fudge, who gave it to himself despite his less-than-distinguishable career, Gilderoy Lockhart, Peter Pettigrew, and Arcturus Black, who was widely believed to have bought it by loaning the Ministry a large amount of gold. Appearance and classes The Order of Merlin consisted of a "handsome" golden medal which hung on a coloured ribbon indicating its class. There were three different classes of Order of Merlin that were awarded: * First Class: Awarded for "acts of outstanding bravery or distinction" in magic. The colour of the ribbon for this class was green, which was believed to represent Merlin's Hogwarts house, Slytherin. * Second Class: Awarded for "achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary." The colour of the ribbon for this class was purple. * Third Class: Awarded to individuals who "have made a contribution to our store of knowledge or entertainment." The colour of the ribbon for this class was white. Known recipients Order of Merlin, First Class Order of Merlin, Second Class Order of Merlin, Third Class Recipients of unknown class Behind the scenes * The "Muggle" counterpart to the Order of Merlin could include the Order of the British Empire, Victoria Cross, Medal of Honour, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or the Nobel Prize. * Since 1966, the International Brotherhood of Magicians has been awarding its own Order of Merlin to long-standing members. * Since Albus Dumbledore was on the verge of losing his Order of Merlin during Cornelius Fudge's campaign to discredit him and Harry Potter, it means that a certain level of disgrace is capable of causing a recipient to lose the Order of Merlin. ** As Fudge was heavily disgraced for his lack of actions against Lord Voldemort's return (not to mention that the worth of his award was heavily questioned to begin with), it's possible that his Order of Merlin has been retracted following his sacking from office. ** When Gilderoy Lockhart's true actions of theft and plaguerism of others' literatural works, and his deceit and trickery for boosting his own fame are revealed, it is possible that his Order of Merlin was retracted from him during his incarceration at St Mungo's. ** When Peter Pettigrew's true actions of betrayal and frame-up of his friends, and his membership in the Death Eaters are revealed, it is possible his Order of Merlin was retracted from his mother's possession and passed on to Sirius Black for his leadership in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. * It is possible that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were awarded the Order of Merlin later in their lives due to the contribution throughout the Second Wizarding War and the defeat of Lord Voldemort. ** It is also likely that Severus Snape was given the Order of Merlin, First or Second Class, for his role as a double agent against Lord Voldemort during the Second Wizarding War. *** Snape was originally promised to be given such Order of Merlin by Cornelius Fudge for returning Sirius Black (assumed to be a fugitive murderer at the time) to Ministry custody, but Black escaped before Fudge could follow through on his word. It was later stated that the loss of this Order of Merlin hit Snape hard, and allegedly was the reason that he let it slip that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. *During the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, on 12 May 2018, a stage invader disrupted the United Kingdom performance, grabbing singer SuRie's microphone and shouting "Nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom", before being swiftly dragged offstage. Australian commentator Joel Creasey described the stage invader as "some absolute cockhead" during the live broadcast; on Twitter, J. K. Rowling commended Creasey and awarded him with the Order of Merlin, First Class.